Icy Intellect
by fictitiousburn
Summary: The icy cold arrogance of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, and the fiery passion and intellect of Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, collide in this compilation of stories about the intricacy of their relationships (Draco/Hermione)
1. Bitemarks and Bloodstains by Finch

******Series **Title: Icy Intellect  
**********Series **Summary: The icy cold arrogance of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, and the fiery passion and intellect of Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, collide in this compilation of stories about the intricacy of their relationships.  
******Series **Notes: I rewrote each chapter of this series so the content and story plot is the same, but the content is altered and the entirety is longer. I hope you enjoy it! Each title in the series is based off of the song whose music or lyrics inspired my writing. The chapter title includes the song title and artist name in the case that you seek out the music behind the madness.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything affiliated with the Harry Potter series; all ownership and characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter Title:** Bitemarks and Bloodstains  
******Chapter **Summary: "I can't believe you'd say something like that...I...you don't understand how much you were asking of me to ask me not to fight for my future. I love you, Draco; I love you _so_ much. When I surrendered my part of the fight to come back here, I surrendered my control over my own future for you. I love you, Draco; I love you _too_ much." What happens when feelings one way dissipate?  
******Chapter **Rating: T for **Teen**; dark themes and use of coarse language.  
******Chapter **Notes: I particularly enjoy the rewrite of this one so I hope that you do as well!

* * *

It was a dark and cold night, the clouds offering an overprotective cover towards the skies as the wind whipped viciously around. This darkened, chilly place could barely be recognized as part of the Hogwarts grounds; they were often bursting with warmth and life and everything here was so cold and lifeless. Even the dungeons glittered with torches along the walls. But the Forbidden Forest had always retained some of the spook, some of the fear and the suspense that the students often whispered about. Despite the sheets of rain that were pouring down through the clouds, there were two figures standing at the limits of the forest, where the grounds seemed to separate the light from the dark, the safety of the Hogwarts grounds from the treacherous unknown of the forest and its secrets.

"You think I had a _choice_?" Draco Malfoy didn't yell often; it looked angry and passionate and that betrayed the stoic and controlled facade he had adopted over the years. Showing emotions to another person was something he had been conditioned never to do, and yet, he was bearing his anger openly and to a female, no less. To a Mudblood, no less. He raked his hands through his blonde hair, trying to focus his clear eyes towards the ground and not at the girl standing opposite him, so desperately trying to get his attention.

"Look," her voice was soft and pleading, "it's not like I was putting it directly on you. I just..." Words had escaped her as she trailed off. There were no words to improve their situation or make him soften. It had always frustrated Hermione that he insisted on putting on this act of false strength, this mask that rendered him emotionless, but she knew he needed to do it for his own sanity. She just didn't understand why he was doing it at that moment, when it was just the two of them and no one else. Why couldn't he just be straightforward and honest with her? Why couldn't he just let her see inside of his head for just a moment? She cautiously reached her hand out to touch his cheek, her tanned fingers and the chill of the rain making his skin look even more pale and porcelain-like under her touch. Her fingers skimmed along his cheek and settled to cup them as she turned his gaze towards her. "I _worry_ about you, Draco."

She didn't even flinch when he shook his head and dislodged her comforting hand. "Well don't, okay? I don't need you to." His voice was rough and unforgiving, and Hermione bit down on her lip to avoid trembling and crying. Trying to break through the hard exterior that he put up was tiring and she was weakening. She needed a sliver of humanity to shine through soon, some token of his affection, whether it be past or present, to manifest itself. She summoned as much resolve as she could and put her hands on his shoulders, peering up at his eyes.

"I can't help it. I love you."

He replied, snarling as he pulled away from her grip, "Let me go, Hermione. Just leave things the way they were supposed to be." His eyes flickered but too swiftly for her to catch the undertone of emotion and they were back to cold slate grey.

"Nothing was _supposed_ to be this way, Draco! If I left things the right way, I wouldn't be alive!" She had lost control of herself as she found her voice escalating into a scream over the rain that was soaking the outer layers of her hair and her clothing, seeping gently through. She had no desire to focus on that but on the man standing in front of her instead. "You _asked_ me, you _begged_ me to come back and to not fight! And I...I fought! But I fought weakly before I realized that I _wanted_ to come back! I _wanted_ to be with you!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have." Draco's voice was plain. "Fate had it so, Hermione. You're right." This time, when his eyes flashed, she could see the bitter emotion behind his words. "I begged you to stay, and you left. I'll never forget that the one time I begged, the one time I asked, the one time I wanted - no, I _needed_ something, you denied me. You left and then you came crawling back and expected what?"

Hermione looked timidly down at her feet, tears falling into the grass with the rain. "I can't believe you'd say something like that...I...you don't understand how much you were asking of me to ask me not to fight for my future. I love you, Draco; I love you _so_ much. When I surrendered my part of the fight to come back here, I surrendered my control over my own future for you. I love you, Draco; I love you _too_ much." The twinge of bitterness coated the last admission she spoke outloud.

"I love myself too much too," Draco confessed and Hermione couldn't help the combination sob and laugh that escaped her lips. His bitter gaze had spread through her and her laughter was bitter, just like her sobbing. She managed to stifle it under the pouring rain to listen to his words. "I can't see myself loving anyone else. I can't take that chance again. I was out in the open and I was _weak_ and I let myself be that way, I saw no problem with it. But during a time of war, weakness is _always_ a problem." His words were rigid but he opened his arms to pull her close. The plainness of the contradiction made Hermione weak around her knees, but she gripped him tightly to steady herself. "I don't know why I stayed with you, Granger," he whispered against the moist, frizzy state of her curls, "I guess I just needed someone to hold onto."

Hermione nodded against his chest, pulling her hands away as she felt her feet return to a solid stance underneath the rest of her body. "I understand," she mumbled. "I was giving fully into a relationship that was running on half-truths and half-feelings. I'm sorry I wasted my love on you, _Malfoy_. I'm sorry I went to fight and that I didn't die. I'm sorry that I didn't stay behind when you asked me to and I'm sorry that because I didn't stay, that you don't love me anymore." She pressed herself onto her tiptoes and leaned her lips against the curve of his ear. "You used to love me."

His hands wrapped firmly, almost painfully around her forearms. "I had no choice," he hissed to her. "I had no choice in what I'd become without you. You knew what my fate was here when you left me behind. It's not a surprise that I'm a Death Eater now. If I could choose, if _I_ had the choice, I wouldn't be one at all. I could still love you." Her tears had surfaced again but she ripped herself away from him, stumbling and backtracking through the mud.

"That's not going to happen, though."

"You know it's not."

"I guess you've made up your mind," came her reply quickly.

Draco closed the distance between them again, his body towering over hers in a dangerous way. His feet were planted around her and she leaned back - into his arms - to maintain any semblance of personal space. For the first time that night, his clear grey eyes looked into her face and into her eyes, and she felt the overwhelming power of words that he kept at bay. There were so many things she could literally feel that he wanted to say to her, but he appeared to be choosing wildly. "I have no choice. I can't love you." 'But I do love you,' he might as well have said it. Hermione could feel the words waiting on his lips but he never spoke them. Instead, he pressed his lips against hers crushingly.

It had startled her but his hands fisted in the soft material of her silver cloak, pushing her between the shoulders and pulling her waist flush against him. Her hands found his cheeks, brushing the rain from them and pulling him as close as she could get him in some faint hope that it'd change his mind, that she could coax him into doing something drastic. His fingers lifted from her shoulders and grabbed the tips of her hair, darkened by the rain, and pulled at them. Hermione couldn't help the yelp and the tipping of her head back as his lips pressed against her neck and his teeth pressed into the supple flesh.

"Don't," she called weakly, but she could feel the biting and the drawing of blood as he marked his way from her neck to her collarbone towards her shoulders. It hurt but it pleased her and she found herself wanting him closer and wanting him further away simultaneously. When he finally pulled away from her, his hands brushed her cheeks gently before he took the material of the cloak, familiar under his fingers. He had bought it for her the first time they had gone out as a couple. He clenched the material and pulled her towards him slowly before kissing her gently, his hands cupping her cheeks and tilting her head as he poured everything that he couldn't change into the last kiss that they'd share.

When Hermione pulled away, the words slipped from her lips slowly. "Goodbye, Draco."

* * *

"You're being taken in for your trial now." The taller, aged brunette witch's voice was cold. "Hurry and get up." She spoke to what appeared to be an entirely empty cell in the prison. Azkaban was cold and it had made Hermione a cold person. Murderers, both plain and Voldemort sympathetic alike, passed through and it was the only way she could keep in touch with herself - if she made herself a completely different. The shadows of the cell unfolded a huddled mass from their grips, one with long blonde hair and the bristles of hair sweeping across their cheeks and chin. He stared at her firmly as she turned the key in the lock and had offered her his wrists before she had even reached to get the chains at her waist.

"Come on, Malfoy," she said as she secured the charmed chains around his wrists, "the dementors are waiting."

* * *

"Miss Granger," the voice was startlingly harsh. "Did you or did you not have an association with the man in question?"

It had evaded Hermione why she was called up as a witness in his trial, but she should have known that she couldn't escape it. She had been his classmate, after all, and however brief, she had been his girlfriend. She was hoping the latter piece of information had been deemed irrelevant, but she found herself seated in a witness stand and staring down a petite but fiesty lawyer.

"I did. Draco Malfoy and I attended school together, in the same year and often in the same classes."

"Did your association with him ever transcend the classroom?"

Hermione hadn't meant to flinch but the whispers around her had revealed that she had flinched, she had reacted to the question, and now an answer was being waited for. She knew she couldn't lie. "Yes. Draco and I...dated for several weeks prior to the First Battle. I left to fight against You-Know-Who and he became a Death Eater. So it was safe to say by that time we had separated." A wry smile pressed itself against her lips as she looked at him standing between two armed guards, his hands cuffed in front of him. She looked back towards his lawyer and steeled herself.

"Do you realize that the penalty for being so closely related to someone on trial for war crimes is dismissal of their charges or dismissal of yourself from this case?"

"I didn't realize that my personal relationship invalidated the Dark Mark tattooed on his skin."

"Do you _realize_ - "

"I didn't realize." Hermione snapped as she sensed his lawyer preparing to repeat her question. "I didn't realize my personal relationship would result in a dismissal of either of those things. Let the record show that I, Hermione Granger, allow myself to be dismissed from this case."

* * *

"If you live, you'll never see me again, you do realize that." Hermione's voice was surprisingly cool as she watched the guards shepherd Draco past her. He stopped in his tracks despite the guards pushing and Hermione nodded to them. They held him still and he dipped his head down.

"I realize that. Do you realize that?" She repeated as she watched the top of his blonde hair. It was longer and unkempt; imprisonment had done a lot of things to his appearance and his resolve. "It'll be cause for an appeal to say that you've violated the personal influence of your case."

"I'm sorry." His apology stuns her momentarily before her face resumes its look of impassivity. Hermione stands from her seat and moves to stand opposite him, peering at both the guards that flank him to make sure they are holding him tightly. "If I live or die, I couldn't do either without apologizing. I'm sorry for blaming my decisions on you. I'm sorry for forcing you to choose between your future and our relationship."

Hermione snorted uncharacteristically, folding her arms across her chest. "I've got to go. I can't be caught talking to you," her brown eyes flickered towards the emptying doors of the court room before she turned to move away. It surprised her to feel the cold metal of chains in her hands as Draco wrapped his hands around her wrist, unable to move anymore. The guards beside him twitched uncomfortably until she pulled away from him.

"I have no choice," she repeated ironically, bitterly. "I can't love you."

"But you do," Draco said quietly, careful to only look over his shoulder fleetingly as the guards led him in one direction and Hermione walked away in another.


	2. Cherub Rock by the Smashing Pumpkins

******Series **Title: Icy Intellect  
******Series **Summary: The icy cold arrogance of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, and the fiery passion and intellect of Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, collide in this compilation of stories about the intricacy of their relationships.  
******Series **Notes: I rewrote each chapter of this series so the content and story plot is the same, but the content is altered and the entirety is longer. I hope you enjoy it! Each title in the series is based off of the song whose music or lyrics inspired my writing. The chapter title includes the song title and artist name in the case that you seek out the music behind the madness.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything affiliated with the Harry Potter series; all ownership and characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter Title:** Cherub Rock  
******Chapter **Summary: "The moment she drew away to look into his eyes, she felt a pulling, compelling sensation overwhelm her that drummed slowly in her heart. 'You love him,' it said, 'You want to be with him.'" Even love can't be commanded through magic.  
******Chapter **Rating: M for **Mature**; dark themes and character death.  
******Chapter **Notes: Please avoid reading this story if descriptions of dying bother you.

* * *

Draco stared at the beautiful brunette girl sleeping on his bed. She looked so peaceful, her limbs curled close to her to keep herself warm. He couldn't sleep, though, and he knew soon that she'd sense the absence of his body in their bed together. It wouldn't take long. He sifted through his thoughts and his eyes darkened considerably. He found himself wishing that things were different, that things didn't have to be this way between them. In another world, in another universe, things were different. She started to stir.

"Draco?" Her voice was frantic as her hands slapped the bed beside her before she propelled herself to sit up and met his eyes. Her body visibly relaxed and she leaned her hands behind her, staring at him avidly. Draco moved to the edge of the bed but dared not to climb onto it with her. He could see closer up that her eyes were glazed with tears and she hadn't slept as peacefully as she had appeared to be. "I'm scared," she whispered as he moved closer. She pushed herself onto her knees and moved towards him, folding her warm arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck. Gently, cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her in return. He could feel the thin silk material of her gown between his palms and her skin, and he could feel her trembling in his grip.

"You have nothing to be afraid of," he assured her half-heartedly. "Nothing at all."

She allowed her hands to slide from his neck, down his chest, and halt above his heart. She looked down at her hands and his body wrapped around her, and she gazed up into his face. She could see the creases of worry between his eyebrows and the wrinkles of frustration curling around his lips. She touched her hand to smooth his cheek and pressed her lips to his slowly, almost reluctantly. Hermione wanted to be consoled and wanted him to console her, but it felt so forced that she could barely find comfort in either action. She told herself that she loved Draco, but some unbidden part of her argued that she didn't.

"Are you alright?" She nodded before her mind comprehended the question and tears rose to her eyes forcefully as her brain pushed the real answer to her lips. She smothered that answer with his lips again as she kissed him, this time deeply. She forced herself to concentrate on him, on the smooth chap of his lips against hers, the way his tongue brushed gently against her lips and the way his mouth had parted readily for her advances. The moment she drew away to look into his eyes, she felt a pulling, compelling sensation overwhelm her that drummed slowly in her heart. 'You love him,' it said, 'You want to be with him.' She reattached her lips to his as he pushed her back onto the bed, an uproar of emotions exploding inside of her chest. As he fit his body against hers, she felt the flame of emotion start to quell and give into the fear that she had felt when she first woke up. His strong arms were around her and she was supposed to be safe; his muscled body was flush against hers and she was supposed to be in love. She was supposed to want him but she only wanted to stop him. His touch was alluring to her and she couldn't help but squirm, tears falling down her cheek helplessly.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" He murmured gently against her lips, his hands brushing against her cheeks and staring at her. She watched his grey eyes and couldn't find the strength to say no. So she turned away from him and nodded her head. "I'm fine."

"Something's wrong," he said but she moved to kiss him again. He stopped her. "Please, don't do that. Talk to me. What's going on? I'm worried."

Frustrated, Hermione got to her feet and moved towards the balcony. She pushed her knuckles against her eyes as she leaned her elbows against the railing. She stayed quiet and hoped that Draco would stay in bed. She needed some time to think without the implications in his grey eyes leading her to make choices for her. His hand on her shoulder caused her to cry out.

"Hermione!" He gripped her firmly. "Are you okay?"

"No!" She shouted, pushing her hands against his chest and pulling wildly from his grasp. "I'm...tired of feeling like I'm not doing the right thing by standing her, by kissing you, by loving you! I want you to stop making me _feel_ like this," her voice was undulated with fury and she pointed a shaking finger at him. "I feel so happy and so sad at the same time. I love you and I want to leave you all at once. It doesn't feel right. I hate this, I hate this feeling like no matter what, I'm not doing the right thing. It doesn't make sense! I feel like I don't belong here, like I'm nothing to you."

"Leave me alone!" She exclaimed again as he took a step towards her. "Leave me alone! Don't touch me, I - " She moved back, her body jerking viciously and the stinging pain of her hip hitting the railing of the balcony. Her arms went behind her to brace herself against the railing but it had thrown her off-center and over the edge. The warm, summer air caressed her and started to whip around her as she started to feel herself fall. She could see Draco's outstretched hand start to fade away.

"Hermione!" Draco's voice was pained and full of angst and her eyes filled with tears that were ripped from her lashes by the wind pulsing around her. She knew what was coming next and she tried to clear her mind for it, to no avail. She collapsed to a stop with a sickening crunch as her back hit the ground, her head following in a close second. Her limbs relaxed and numbed under her and her head bounced gently against the ground. It ached tremendously and she stared up into the starry, cloudless sky. "Can you hear me?" She could hear him. But her mouth couldn't form words. She heard syllables and groans and cries emit from her lips but none of them were intelligible, and she could barely hear them herself. She knew Draco couldn't hear her.

She lay on her back for what felt like hours as red dots swam through her vision. After the red speckles vanished, black smoke soared through her mind. Her eyes fluttered as she heard Draco calling her name. Her eyes were closed by the time he reached her but she could feel him drop to his knees beside her, his hands shaking her shoulders. Her body shivered numbly, unresponsive to her touch. Hermione felt light, like she was going to float off.

At her last, shuddering breath, she could feel it. She was sure Draco could see the tension in her face release its grip. Hermione felt the last tenuous hold of the Imperius Curse drifting away as she died.


	3. The Baby Song by Eric Roberson

**Series Title: **Icy Intellect  
**Series Summary:** The icy cold arrogance of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, and the fiery passion and intellect of Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, collide in this compilation of stories about the intricacy of their relationships.  
**Series Notes:** I rewrote each chapter of this series so the content and story plot is the same, but the content is altered and the entirety is longer. I hope you enjoy it! Each title in the series is based off of the song whose music or lyrics inspired my writing. The chapter title includes the song title and artist name in the case that you seek out the music behind the madness.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything affiliated with the Harry Potter series; all ownership and characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter Title:** The Baby Song  
**Chapter Summary: **"Your Mommy is smart. That's why I think she named you Athena Granger. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, after all, and you should be wise. And anyone who sees your last name is Granger will never doubt that you're wise like your mother. It was very smart of her. My Mommy was named after a Greek too. Or a plant. And I was named after a Greek too. Or a constellation. See why your Mommy is the smart one? I don't even know what my name is after." Expecting a baby isn't an easy thing at all.  
**Chapter Rating: T** for **Teen**; minor suggestive adult themes.  
**Chapter Notes:** Finally, an update! Finally, a fluff piece! Finally! Also, if you haven't reread the last two chapters, you should!

* * *

Draco stared blankly at the round, stretched skin of his girlfriend's stomach. "There's a baby..._in_ there."

Her laughter met his ears and he winced, rolling over onto his other side and away from her. He often returned home from work in the following months to find her sleeping peacefully, and rather than disturb her, he slid into bed with her, smoothed her curls down around her face, and tried to sleep. But now, he had returned to bright brown eyes staring at him intently, trying to gauge how he was feeling now that the idea of a baby was approaching a reality. She was eight months and two weeks pregnant, and the baby inside her stomach already stretched and yearned to join them.

"I'm sorry," Hermione's breath tickled his neck as she leaned her head against his back, "Draco, I'm sorry. You're just so cute right now."

Draco rolled off of their bed and turned around quickly to face her. "Cute? Cute?! I'm terrified!"

A frown creased Hermione's features and hormonal, unnecessary tears pushed at her eyelids as she stared at her boyfriend. She didn't like this reaction at all and as she pushed herself into a sitting position, her hands flattened her shirt back over her stomach that she had revealed in the hopes for a lot softer of a reaction. But his hands hadn't come close to her stomach and he couldn't feel the kicks of their child in her stomach. She hadn't resented him for his distance; they had always been busy with their careers. But since she found out she was pregnant, she had stopped working at five months and resigned herself to their flat, tidying and busying and having family over (or visiting her Muggle family). She had Ginny with her at her appointments to St. Mungo's and despite his frequent apologies, Hermione hadn't taken it to heart that he hadn't gone with her. But now, she was.

"I'm terrified too!" She shrieked back at him. Her tears didn't fall but she rubbed at her eyes anyway, rubbing her stomach with one hand absently. "I've been growing a bloody child inside of me, you selfish prick! Your child!—no, _our_ child! So excuse me if I try not to talk about how scared I am! I could have spent nine months talking about how horrible a mother I could be because I work so much and spend so little time here or with you, or how much it irks me when the baby kicks me or pushes on my bladder or rubs its little baby head against my ribs. I could talk about how _sore_ my breasts are and how irritable I am and how every little thing makes me cry! I cried because I got an extra coupon in my basket from the market and my mother didn't even know what to say to me! I'm scared that the second this baby is born that it'll have been a mistake, that you won't want it or you won't want me and I'll have to be scared _alone_."

Draco stared at her again, but his face mirrored concern as he moved to crawl across their bed. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's shoulders, cupping the back of her head and allowing her to lean it against his shoulder. Her stomach still separated them a good distance and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but he wanted to be supportive. "I'm sorry," he ran his fingers through her curls, slightly relieved when she pulled back and managed to smile at him.

She leaned up to kiss his jaw and then kiss his lips briefly. "I love you," she said quietly, as if she was reminding him, "I'm happy. I'm scared out of my mind, but I'm happy. I just want you to be happy too."

"I am!" His tone was slightly defensive as he looked at her, "I am happy. And I love you too, Hermione. I really do. I'm sorry that you've already had to do so much of this alone." His hand pulled from her hair before he hesitantly rested it on her stomach. His palms were clammy but Hermione smiled, pulled at her shirt so that his skin was against hers. She reached to take his palm and pushed it towards the left side of her stomach and pressing it firmly against her stomach.

He looked up, his grey eyes watching her hesitantly before he felt the lurch, the jump, the _kick_ against his palm. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "That.." She nodded and smiled at him, laughing when he leaned forward and kissed her fiercely. "I love you."

Hermione smiled and leaned her forehead against his. "I love you, too, Draco."

* * *

"Shh, she's sleeping." Draco was grinning widely as Ginny and Harry clamored into the apartment, bags and gifts in their hands. It had been a while since Draco had seen either of them, especially since he was usually busy when Ginny made her rounds to the apartment to check on Hermione and Harry worked just as much as Draco did. "Leave those out here," he gestured to the items they had brought in along with them. The couple smiled before they dropped their belongings by the small coffee table in their friends' living room.

"Can we go see her anyway?" Ginny was the first to plead, sweeping her red hair from her face and looking up at Draco with a hopeful look on her face. The blonde frowned and looked to Harry, who seemed to be doing very little to protest. He shrugged his shoulders and giving up, Draco nodded. Ginny and Harry both broke out into an excited grin before they went towards the back rooms of the apartment. Ginny pushed open the bedroom door and peeked into the dark. She flipped the light switch on and grinned at the sight of her best friend sleeping soundly. She looked exhausted but glowing as she clutched a muggle baby monitor to her chest, rising and falling steadily. The redhead settled on the edge of the bed and reached out cautiously to brush her hand against her forearm. With a start, Hermione woke with wide eyes and Ginny chuckled.

"Hey," she said as she wiped the back of her free hand against her mouth. "When did you get here, Ginny?" Hermione suddenly felt very vain as she pulled her curls through her fingers in an attempt to rake them into order and the long gown she had fallen asleep in seemed oddly embarrassing to the new mother.

"A few minutes ago. How're you feeling?"

Hermione leaned over to give her friend a hug. "Honestly? Deathly tired. I haven't even seen the baby," she said with a small frown, "after labor, I fell asleep. Draco told me this morning that I slept for 36 hours at the hospital and I've been in bed all day long today." Ginny crossed to her bedside and helped the brunette to her feet, her ankles still slightly swollen from pregnancy.

"Let's go see the little angel," Ginny said with a bright smile, but she froze as she heard a voice speak up.

"She's so beautiful..." Hermione stared down at her hands where the baby monitor was still protectively glued to her palms. She fell back into her bed and Ginny moved over towards her to listen as Hermione turned the volume up.

* * *

Draco stood stiffly as he peered into the crib. He had expected Ginny to be referring to the baby when she said she, but she had been referring to her best friend. He should have known. Tiny grey eyes stared blankly back up at him, trying to determine the shapes in front of her. Yes, her. Draco had used his wand to rearranged all the previously white belongings to pink ones, including the walls. The baby monitor was clutched in his free hand and he hadn't realized he had pushed down the on switch so that everything was audible. The little girl was rosy-cheeked and tan skinned, something she hadn't gotten from her father, and the dark brown curls already grew abundantly on the top of her small head. But her vivid grey eyes were her father's and she observed him before letting out a tiny, steady, whine.

* * *

Hermione started to stand again, but Ginny put a hand on her arm and pushed the baby monitor closer to her friend's ears.

"Don't cry," came her boyfriend's familiar voice. A rustling noise was heard as she could hear him presumably lifting the baby into his arms. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand as she listened intently.

"You know, your Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry came to see your Mommy. She's been resting, you've really knocked her out one good." There was a lull of silence. "You should teach me your ways some day." Hermione scowled at the monitor and had half a mind to go into the next room to scold him when the door opened and Harry appeared in the doorway. He was grinning widely at Hermione but had fallen onto the bed beside Ginny and leaned over her to speak to his friend. Hermione raised a finger to her lips before he started to speak, shushing him and pointing to the baby monitor.

"I don't know if your Mommy remembers, but she named you." A frown on the brunette's face indicated that no, she hadn't remembered. She only remembered sleeping and going home to sleep some more. "Your name is Grace. Grace Athena Malfoy," she heard the hesitation in his voice, "or is it Athena Grace Malfoy? Which one do you like more?"

The baby gurgled and Hermione's eyes rolled back in her head gleefully as she stood on the bed, readying herself to jump down and sprint to the next room but both her friends reached out and yanked her down. "I don't even know whether your Mommy wrote my last name on your birth declaration. Maybe you're Grace Granger. Or Athena Granger. That sounds fitting," Hermione frowned and looked over at her friends. Suddenly, this invasion of privacy seemed too detailed.

"Your Mommy is smart. That's why I think she named you Athena Granger. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, after all, and you should be wise. And anyone who sees your last name is Granger will never doubt that you're wise like your mother. It was very smart of her. My Mommy was named after a Greek too. Or a plant. And I was named after a Greek too. Or a constellation. See why your Mommy is the smart one? I don't even know what my name is after."

Ginny and Harry shared a look with one another before they turned to Hermione with whispers. "We should go," Ginny said with a firm nod. "You should go see the baby," Harry insisted, rubbing her shoulder and leaning to kiss her cheek. "We can come visit tomorrow." Ginny nodded again to show her support of his suggestion and after a beat, the three of them were hugging each other and squeezing each other, and talking.

Once she was alone, Hermione got to her feet. Her ankles burned and she stretched her legs for a moment before she crept towards the adjacent room. Peeking into the doorway, she could see Draco holding the baby in his arms and talking to her. She was asleep. "I worry that I'll be difficult like my father, you know. He loved me a lot but he was never easy on me. I guess sometimes I didn't like him very much, but when it mattered, I knew that he loved me. And I don't want you to think about me that way. I want you to be one hundred percent confident that I love you," he said quietly, "because I do."

"Her name is Athena Malfoy." Draco startled, jerking as he turned to look over his shoulder at his girlfriend. She offered him a sheepish smile, her hand bracing the doorway before she stepped into the room further. She sidled up beside him and wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning into him and looking at the baby in his arms. "I, uh," she stammered with a blush rising to her cheeks as she looked up at him, "I heard you. On the monitor."

It was quiet as Draco felt an equally embarrassed blush on his face as well but after a few moments, the silence was broken. "I remember now. Her birth declaration says, 'Athena Grace Malfoy,' because she _will_ be wise. Like the goddess. But anyone who sees her last name as Malfoy," Hermione's voice softened as she pressed her lips gently against his shoulder, speaking in a whisper over his skin as she watched their daughter, "will know that she is powerful and worthy and not to be trifled with. That she commands respect and can overcome adversity and be a wonderful, brilliant person, like her father." Draco dipped down to kiss her forehead with a small smile. "I think she already knows that you love her. And I already know that you won't be difficult. You'll be amazing; you already _are_ amazing."

Wordlessly, Draco shifted and offered the sleeping baby girl to his girlfriend with a smile on his face. "You haven't held her," he remembered as he carefully handed the tiny girl to her mother. Hermione shook her head and frowning, Draco placed little Athena in the crib, replacing the baby monitor with a pointed look back at his girlfriend. He took her hands and looked at her intently, as if to ask her, _why not hold her_? Hermione tipped her head back and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. "You haven't held me either," she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. "I love you, Draco," she confessed against him and he kissed the top of her head reverently. "I love you, too, Hermione."


End file.
